That's Not An Eye Patch
by jaggedjacket
Summary: When Tenten has to burn her underware drawer look who shows up to help. Kiba and Kakashi to the rescue! ShinoXTenten


Kakashi was enjoying his worn out book when he casually looked up from his reading to the adjacent apartment complex. Normally he would have just continued to read his novel and mind his own business, but the site before him was not only alarming, it was rather intriguing as well. Kakashi had moved out of that crappy apartment complex about five years ago only to move to the one across from it under different management-which is what he wanted. The guy who owned the complex across the way was a complete perv, and he did not want to be associated with him in any way shape or form. Now it seemed that the konoichi, Tenten, had figured out why Kakashi had moved out so many years ago. He frowned. She had just recently moved in three months ago. She was walking with no restrain towards the manager's office in nothing but a towel no less, holding what looked like a lacey eye patch in her hands. She was furious and her killing intent was rolling off of her in waves. Her twin buns were slowly coming out of place as whips of her hair began to frame her now red from anger face. He wondered why she was in only the towel, but remembered how the old, balding, pervy man dismissed complaints like the lack of hot water with the hopes that they would come to him, just as Tenten was, in only a towel, complaining about the need for a hot shower.

He placed himself between the two before Tenten had taken a first blow.

Her eyes narrowed on the Shiringen user, giving him a warning that she wouldn't mind going through him to get to the bastard behind the desk, who was sweating profusely and looking for an alternate escape route.

"Killing civilians gives us all a bad name."

"Move," she released a fist full of black lace and a strip of dark red silky cloth into his chest as she pushed him.

He took the object in hand, trying to make odds or ends of it. One strap was broken. Or at least that is what it looked like.

"I leave for three months and you go through my underwear drawer!" Tenten growled low between gritted teeth at the man who squirmed and sweated behind the desk. He calculated his exit strategies as she screamed.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and put two and two together. Not only had the man been going through her underwear drawer, he had been trying them on, thus the broken strap from the pair he held in his hands. If you could even call what he was holding underwear anyways.

Tenten raved, gripping her towel to her chest tightly with more clenched teeth. "You didn't even fix the water heater. And those were my favorite pair! You had to wreck my favorite pair!"

Tenten had turned from red to purple in her rage, ready to string up her landlord by the panties he had ruined earlier.

Kakashi quickly intervened. "Which do you want more, a hot shower or to kill this man?"

It was a serious question. Kakashi wanted to know the answer. Tenten managed to rein her anger back for a moment and focus on him. At least she left her scrolls and weapons in her apartment-Kakashi thanked Kame for small miracles.

"I haven't been home in three months. I have blood crusted underneath my fingernails that isn't mine. I want a shower more than I want to kill this _asshole_." She anuciated and kicked the desk that he placed himself behind to let him know that she was still pissed.

"My apartment is just across the way…grab a change of clothes and bring them over and you can enjoy a nice hot shower, my treat, no perverts." He glared at the man who had tried to pull his fat figured under the desk in a crouching form.

"Fine," Tenten acceded, "but my hot water gets fixed this week, or I won't be pressing charges about you going through my things, I will be finding a place to _hide your body_." She finished with another kick to the desk that made the old man jump and hit his head with a thud.

"Yes, I believe I will help you if he doesn't," Kakashi said keeping his tone controlled and serious leaving no mistake about the outcome of the man's life.

They walked out of the small office. Tenten headed back to her apartment for a change of clothes and Kakashi ran back to his to straighten it up before she came. She hadn't even bothered to put on a robe, just snatched a clean pair of clothes and went off to his apartment. Kakashi held out her thong with upside-down U forming his eye lid as he opened the door. "I believe this is yours," he said scratching the back of his neck with his other hand.

She pushed passed him, completely ignoring his comment about her underwear. Without so much as an eyebrow raise, she scanned the apartment, found the bathroom, and shut the door with a click.

A little amused and dumbfounded, Kakashi fingered the cloth with his hands. It was more or less a very small triangular red silk strip of cloth with a bunch of black strings attached to it. He wondered to himself how such a contraption worked, not to mention why none of his sexual escapades ever bothered with such luxuries. Lost in his thoughts still eyeing the underwear in his hands he absent mindedly opened the door after hearing the loud knock.

Underwear still in hand, the other on the door handle, Kakashi opened the door to none other than Aburame Shino.

"Yo, Shino," the copy-nin quickly shoved the underwear in his pocket praying to Kame that he hadn't seen it.

Shino had noticed it however, and looked very pissed off, despite the bug-nin's casual appearance. He tensed and moved towards the bathroom door pounding at it with authority as Kakashi looked on in curiosity.

"I'll be out in a second, I'm just finishing up," Tenten hollered lazily through the door, she had shut off the water and was probably already drying her hair. It was a pretty quick shower, especially for a girl with crusted blood underneath her nails.

"Tenten!" Shino called through the door.

"Shino?" Tenten's voice sounded a bit confused but more incredulous. Kakashi suddenly had a feeling this was not going to end well for the Aburame.

"Are you hurt?" he called with a heavy note of concern as loudly as he dared without giving too much of his emotion away.

"I'm fine," Tenten spoke almost in a "duh" way and her tone clearly stated she was irritated that he even bothered asking the question.

She opened the door. Kakashi took note of several things. Tenten was dressed proper in her nicer clothes. She looked good, like she might have been trying to attempt to go out some place nice tonight, perhaps on a date. The next thing he notice was how her buns were atop her head again, she had them done up quickly, but looked like they could with stand a fight. Then there was the pissed off aspect of Tenten that he noticed. She was nearly shaking and clenched the door knob of the bathroom until her knuckles turned white.

"I have been in Konoha all of twenty minutes." She spoke slowly and tried to keep her tones to just above the crazy-I'm-going-to-scream-at-you-now level, "so how on earth did you know how to find me if you weren't _spying_ on me?" She directed her question to the Aburame who was trying his best not get in her way. He gave no answer for her.

"I am going to go burn my underwear drawer, and go shopping for obvious reasons," Tenten announced. "I have an explosive tag so devastating it could easily flatten the Aburame complex. I find one whiff of a destruction bug near me, and there won't be one brick lying on top of the other." And with that threat, she exited the door leaving the two ninja gapping at the closed door.

"I had no idea you two were dating," Kakashi broke the silence to the younger shinobi.

Shino shook his head with a defeated sigh. They weren't dating, not yet. He _wanted_ to date her.

He remembered the night when both team eight and team Gai had been celebrating different occasions at the same restaurant. Shino's team was celebrating Kiba's jounin level achievement and team Gai was out celebrating Lee's birthday. The restaurant had an elaborate garden outside in the back and he found Tenten there carefully inspecting one of his loose kakkai bugs and leaning on the railing of the outer fence. Until then, he had made no direct intentional contact with her. It was perhaps all too subtle before now. How he always stood close to her at the Hyuga complex as they waited for their respective Hyuga teammates. How he would very casual over step into her personal space whenever he could sneak one in with out looking too bold or too suspicious. On one of his more daring attempts, he brushed a finger over hers as he handed her a scroll. Ninja flirting was very subtle, and to anyone else it might look like he didn't even notice she was a female. These things did not escape her attention however, and that night at the restaurant she brushed her hand against his, lingering for just a moment with a smile. It was all the encouragement he needed.

"I have to leave on a mission for three months," she bowed her head as she spoke still staring at the kakkai bug, "That's why we are celebrating Lee's birthday early."

Shino nodded and bravely took her hand in his as if to say that he wouldn't forget her while she was gone. She smiled up at him and gave his hand a squeeze.

Upon hearing one of their teammates, the two reluctantly let go of each others hands as Tenten got dragged away by a ticked off Neji who claimed there was no way she got to go off on her own and leave him at the mercy of Gai and Lee shouting on and on about the Power of Youth. She winked at Shino as she was hauled away back into the craziness that was her team. That was the last time he saw her.

That was three months ago.

Shino wondered how the hell he managed to screw up the relationship before it had even really started.

"Why is she burning her underwear?" Shino suddenly snapped back to the present.

The silver haired ninja waved his hands as if to say don't ask. "I saved that perv's life once today; I don't think I could manage a second."

Confused, Shino left.

….

Ino and Sakura exchanged looks of excitement at the thought of going shopping. Even though Tenten was ticked off and upset about the devastation of her underwear drawer, they also knew the lingerie store that she had bought her favorite pair of lacey thongs was having a sale. She could replace her underwear without having to break the bank and none of it had to be second rate. Tenten helped herself to a healthy stock of matching lacey bras to boot and even advised Ino to pick up a kinky purple nightie. She didn't bother wondering who it was for.

Tenten busied herself with rummaging through the racks looking at the seductive lacey outfits and noted that Kakashi had very surreptitiously sneaked into the lingerie store, he managed to relay the message to Ino and Sakura that they were needed at the hospital with out so much as getting hit or yelled at. He made his way over to Tenten who eyed a damsel looking pink and white lacey nightie with cap sleeves and a lot of see through material. She fingered the lace of the corset with contemplation.

"Looking for an eye patch?" Tenten stated with out much emotion to the ninja behind her. Kakashi managed to blush and scratch the back of his head. Tenten turned around and held up the dainty outfit to her body.

"Too pink? It's not a bright pink…I think I like it. What do you think?" She asked the now stunned shinobi who was now envisioning the sexy yet adorable outfit on the younger konoichi. His mental image of her sporting the lacey getup was blocking any form of communication.

"I think I will try it on," Tenten spoke as if he had agreed with her and headed for the dressing rooms. She was taking off her clothes before the Shiringen user's brain could start to function again. He had no idea what just happened. He had no idea Tenten even had a girly side, much less a sexy side.

His brain temporarily shut down at the thought of her in the skimpy lingerie. He shook his head to clear his naughty, naughty thoughts.

He did his best not to look uncomfortable, leaning against the side of the dressing room looking absolutely bored. On the inside however, his heart had sped up just a bit and he was reprimanding his hormones into place. Being surrounded by all the lacey panties did not help his now growing imagination.

"I owe you one," Tenten came out of the stall after a bit. Kakashi was almost glad that she came back in her own clothes. He did note that she added the sexy little getup to her large collection of unmentionables.

"Not just for the shower, but from preventing me from killing my landlord," she smiled and they both headed for the counter so she could pay for her rather large purchase.

….

Kakashi took his hot spring certificate with a dubious look. Tenten smile at him. "Hey, hot soak for a hot soak," she explained in a friendly way. The certificate was for two, at a private spring, something that must have cost her a pretty penny.

She gave him a wink and was already off before he had a chance to protest.

…

"Come to see the conflagration?" Tenten asked rifling through her pockets for her exploding tag. Now where did she put it?

Kiba looked at Akamaru and the dog seemed to give the expression of shrugging his shoulders.

Kiba had come to talk to Tenten, but at the moment he was side tract on just why there was a pile of panties that Tenten was adding an accelerator to in the middle of a random field. It hadn't taken Kiba long to track her, he just wasn't expecting well, _this_.

Tenten was done searching her pockets and settled on just plain old matches.

She struck the match with out hesitation and threw it on the pile. It didn't explode or burn funny colors, but it served its purpose-to destroy.

She turned to the Inuzuka expecting some kind of explanation for his appearance and acting like lighting a pile of panties on fire was a regular occurrence. For all the dog-nin knew of her, it was.

"What the…?" Kiba, for once, was at a loss for words so he just motioned to the fire with his hands.

"Hn, didn't think the accelerator could mask the smell of pervert."

Kiba gave another confused look and sniffed the air.

"Sorry thought that was an old boyfriend."

"Landlord." Tenten corrected.

Kiba frowned and looked around on the ground as if he was expecting to spot a dead body amongst the tall grass.

"He lives," Tenten spoke neutrally, poking a stick at the smoldering lacey clothes, "for now."

Kiba could only chuckle at the response. No wonder his friend liked this chick. Just enough spunk to keep him on his toes.

Kiba cleared his throat. "So I was supposed to deliver a message."

Tenten looked at him as if to say _so spit it out already_.

Kiba instead looked around hesitantly, and fumbled for words, "apparently Shino doesn't trust that I would remember a message, or he is just that private that he didn't want me to know what the message should say."

Tenten tried to gather what he was saying. "So you have a note?"

"I **had** a note." Kiba offered a toothy grin in way of apology. "I had a note and now I don't."

Tenten pinched the bridge of her nose and looked like she was praying for patience.

Tenten breathed out a long sigh. What were they? Twelve? She didn't need a note from a boy to understand that they needed to clear the air.

"I will just stop by the Aburame complex on my way home after the fire burns out and ask him myself."

Kiba smiled and pet Akamaru whose tongue was lolling in and out of his mouth while he panted.

"Akamaru camp clean up!" Kiba shouted to his nin-dog who immediately began to put out the fire by hiking a leg.

Did no one know the meaning of a good catharsis nowadays?

"I'll walk you over, that way I can apologize to him about the note," Kiba's grin was just a little on the wicked side, as if he was up to something. Tenten didn't play catty games, she wasn't like Ino.

"Whatever," Tenten acceded trying her best not to roll her eyes.

She had to admit, Kiba going with her was kind of a nice tension reliever; her excuse for being there would be right in front of them.

Kiba and Tenten entered the Aburame gates after Tenten explaining further about the landlord and the panty ordeal just so there was no confusion. She even explained how Shino barged in on her at Kakashi's after only being in Konoha for 20 minutes. Kiba winced at that, knowing the Aburame had planted his destruction bugs as look outs and alerted him upon her return.

"Wow, I'ma hafta explain the difference between concern and stalking to him some day," Kiba said sheepishly, embarrassed for his friend as he scratched at his neck nervously.

Tenten smiled in a way that said, "you do that." She knocked on the main door as Akamaru busied himself with chasing a butterfly around the yard.

Shino answered the door. Kiba pulled him inside before he could so much as be surprised by the fact that Tenten was there with him and then promptly slammed the door behind them, leaving Tenten outside by herself. Tenten rolled her eyes.

o.o.o.o.o.o

"You spied on her?" Kiba tried to keep his voice low as he reeled incredulously.

Shino of course replied by crossing his arms over his chest, looking less than amused.

Kiba face palmed and ran his fingers through his hair. He brought his voice to fix it mode. "I brought her here. She thinks I lost a note from you, so she came here to find out what it said."

Shino promptly did a very un-Shino like thing. He punched Kiba as hard as he could in the arm.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK SHINO!" Kiba grabbed his shoulder and realized his arm was dead frogged.

Shino stood still trying to remain stoic. Stoic and pissed. The last thing that Shino needed was to explain a lie.

"I'm trying to help you, you asshole!" Kiba hunched over and gritted underneath the pain.

Shino ignored him and opened the door. He was almost surprised to see her still standing there, looking bored, and picking at her cuticles with a kunai. Her jaw was slightly angled to the side, something she did when she was trying not to grit her teeth in frustration. He was already on unsteady ground. Kiba might have screwed it up farther than he already had.

"I must apologize for Kiba, I am sure he had the best intentions by bringing you here," Shino began over the muffled grunts from Kiba.

"Funny, I didn't think he was the one who needed to apologize," Tenten finally looked up and glared at hole into the Aburame. Shino held his breath. Tenten broke his gaze and looked ready to bolt.

He reached out and grabbed her wrist. Tenten clenched her jaw. "Please," he pleaded, "don't leave," Shino nearly whispered drawing her closer. "not before I beg you to forgive me."

They were closer to each other now, and in the air of the cool breeze she could feel his body heat radiating from him. Her head tucked under his and he inhaled her scent and finally let go of her wrist. She stood there at the bridge of indecision and hesitated. "Please," he breathed a hot breath into her ear sending shivers up her spine.

Tenten slowly nodded, pressing herself further into his warmth. She hadn't realized how cold she had been before. He was comforting, and his body generated a longing to be next to her that she couldn't fathom, but she felt the same way. He wrapped his body in a firm hug around her, and she felt him ease a slight shaking that he was probably not aware he was doing. Perhaps it was the kakkai finally settling down. They hummed with relief within him.

"You fucking jerk!" Kiba threw open the door with venom. The anger promptly faded as he blinked stupidly in recognition of the two holding each other. He took a cocky stance and leaned against the door frame. Kiba looked on with approval.

"I'm sorry I mislead you about Shino having a note."

"I'm sorry I spied on you."

"I'm sorry I threatened to kill you and your clan."

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"I'm sorry I let Akamaru dig up your daffodils."

Shino and Tenten turned to see the white dog with muddy paws rooting around in the fresh soil. His snout had crusted over with dirt, and the dog couldn't appear happier as he continued to fling earth and plants over with his giant paws.

"Come on boy!" Kiba had his revenge and decided to leave the two alone.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Kakashi was ready to close his curtains and settle into his favorite Jariaya novel when the figure from across the way smirked evilly at him.

It was Tenten, she was dressed scantily in her pink damsel lingerie, and Kakashi nearly drooled as his mouth gapped. She knew he was watching, and it looked like she enjoyed the older jounin's stunned expression. She drew one hand up to blow him a kiss as she bent over, nearly falling out of her loosely laced up corset as she did. Then she winked at him, and he nearly lost it on the spot. Her hand then reached over to shut the blinds as a shirtless Aburame came from behind with a possessive arm around her waist and began to release her hair from the infamous twin buns. Kakashi was just able to see it spill out over her shoulders before the blinds shut his view.

Kakashi shook his head and finally closed his mouth after a few minutes had gone by letting his imagination go wild.

_Lucky bastard_.


End file.
